Since I Met You
by YoungAndRestless
Summary: Harvest Moon Chelsea and Elliot have been best friends since they first washed up on Sunny Island three years ago. The two of them have been inseparable since then. But now, after all this time, Chelsea is questioning if what she wants is right, and will do anything and everything, as long as it's what is best for Elliot. For my favorite IoH couple, a ChelseaxElliot, lemon chapter.
1. Poultry Problems

**My pairing story of Elliot and Chelsea in Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness. Basic understanding of the Harvest Moon games and plotline is highly suggested, however, direct experience with the Island of Happiness (IoH) game will definitely improve the reader's comprehension! There will be some lemons in the later chapters, so if you're a kiddo who can't handle that stuff yet, skip the marked chapters. Enjoy!**

I sighed with relief as I firmly placed the lid of the shipping bin back in place. Today was the final day of Summer, and I had ran around like a lunatic trying to harvest all my crops in time. My crop were all tucked away neatly now, ready to be shipped to the main land and traded and sold from there. I wasn't exactly sure what parts of the world ever saw the fruits of my labor. I've always been a real solid kind of person, only understanding what I can see and touch. The faceless names of those who purchased my goods miles away didn't really interest me; the gold it raked in did though. I know that must sound really greedy, but it was my back breaking work and the gold I earned alone that transformed this island. Without me, it would still be as unforgiving as it first was when I first arrived here, three years ago.

This is Year Three here on Sunny Island, and so much has changed. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the shipping bin, watching the clouds roll by. If it hadn't been for Taro and his family, and all of their help, I wouldn't have made it this far.

As if on cue, I hear approaching horse hooves coming from town. I stand up, and wait for Elliot and the horse drawn cart. As he gets closer, and his features become more defined, I wave high above my head, shouting a greeting. He smiles warmly, and returns my enthusiastic greeting. Finally, he pulls the horse to a stop in front of me, whispering to it calmingly. After the horse has steadied, he turns his attention back to me.

"How was your day, Chelsea?" He asks as he bends and checks the contents of my shipping bin. He nods approvingly, seeing that everything is in place, before leaning further to grasp it firmly at the bottom.

"It went well, thank you," I grunt, quickly stooping myself to help him load the heavy box onto the cart.

"You don't have to help, I've got it, honest," he protests courteously, his voice strained.

"It's not a problem, I don't mind helping." We finally settle the shipping container onto the cart, before turning to one another and giving each other a breathless smile. Elliot turns the horse around, and we begin to head south to the beach, where the ship was waiting for the island's goods for the day. We chatted comfortably walking at a steady pace that matched the horse's. We waved at Chen as we passed his store window without halting the conversation, laughing about Taro's outburst's about weather.

Taro was the first person I had met after I had washed up on this then deserted island. Shortly after, I got to meet his family; Felicia, his daughter, and his two grandchildren, Natalie and Elliot. Naturally, having known them the longest out of all the Sunny Island residents, I was closest to them. Taro even started to insist I eat dinner with them instead of by myself at the café or home. Felicia has really grown to love me, especially since I got Elliot to start drinking milk, much to his disgust. Natalie and I were pretty close, but ever since she had married Pierre, I saw less of her at the family dinners.

We finally reached the beach. Taro heard our approach, and whirled on us with surprising speed. "Where have you whippersnappers been this whole time? Lollygagging? Get that container onto the ship!"

"Yes, Grandpa, sorry," Elliot smiled. Together, we hauled the container with a lot of shouting and grunting, telling each other to watch out for that bump in the gangplank or that sharp corner that's about to jab into your back. After some grumbling and struggling, we finally manage to place it properly. The two of us dance off of the boat's gangplank, before waving goodbye to Taro and heading back to my farm.

"That wasn't so hard," Elliot declares as he wipes off some dirt on his green apron.

"Only because I was there," I snort, rolling my eyes and flexing my biceps.

"You were a lot nicer to me when we first met, you know that?" I laughed loudly, and shook my head. Before everyone had come to the island, Elliot and I would often spend our free time together if I wasn't already hanging out with his sister. At first, trying to play both ends of this playing field, Elliot versus Natalie, I felt really uncomfortable, and often would just leave if a fight started. Now a days, though, I felt like a third child of Felicia's, taking turns on whom I picked on. Elliot never took my jests to heart, because I always knew when to stop. Sometimes… Natalie would take it a little far still.

As we approached Elliot's house, I expected for him to head inside as I kept walking to the farm. However, instead of heading inside to help his mother set the table for dinner, he continued walking next to me, heading to my land.

"Shouldn't you be getting home?" I asked him, wondering how he could forget something so habitual. He shrugged, not meeting my eyes, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his apron as he began to walk ahead of me, his red hair bouncing on his head.

"Mom can set the table just fine on her own tonight. I want to try my hand at working with animals." I snorted loudly and rolled my eyes, smirking at the back of his head.

"You? Help me put the animals away for the evening? This is something I have got to see."

With Elliot's help, we were able to put away the cows and sheep in about half the time it usually took me. The circus began when he tried to help with the chickens. All the chickens were put away except one; the one Elliot had been chasing since we had started with the poultry. While he struggled to just put one of them in the coop, I had managed to put eight away for the night. He ran bent in half at the waist, hands far in front of him, trying to catch his quarry. Every time he finally caught up to the short chicken, it would round it's beak and peck viciously at his hands, causing him to drop it and yelp, before cursing himself and chasing it again. I sat in the grass beside the coop, laughing hysterically and watching him fail.

"Stop laughing, will you? It's distracting," he panted over his shoulder, trying to gain some ground.

"It's a chicken, Elliot, not a roadrunner!" I cackled as I watched him fail to catch it again. "Try not to grab her so tight," I gasped between laughs, trying to breathe. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime of comedy, Elliot grabbed the chicken gently enough to not hurt or panic it, but firm enough to keep it from struggling free. He quickly jogged into the coop to while I collapsed onto my side, my abdomen screaming for me to stop laughing as tears streamed down my face. He slowly came back outside, sitting down heavily beside my head. As my laughter subsided, his chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath.

"Thanks…for nothing…You were…No help…whatsoever." I smiled, and snuffled around a little on the ground so that my head was lying on his lap, and not on the grass.

"I'm sorry," I replied sassily, "I thought you were here to help me, not the other way around." His body immediately tensed up under the weight of my head, his thigh turning rock hard as he became uncomfortable. A little hurt, I sat up straight next to him, and leaned my head against the coop wall.

"Maybe you should stick to shipping goods and setting tables," I suggested, closing my eyes. The last Summer sunset burned my eyelids, turning my thoughts and soul a crisp, warm orange. He grunted beside me, and I heard a quiet shuffling and a solid _thunk_ as he dropped his head against the coop as well. I turned my face slowly towards him and peeked between my lashes. He had scooted a little further away, and his breath was heaving faster than when he had been chasing the poultry, instead of calming down.

Elliot and I have been best friends for three years now, and he knows me better than just about anybody. We use to wrestle in the Spring rain, and Natalie and I would cover him in Winter powder when he had his back turned. Nothing was ever hidden between us, and nothing ever acted as a barrier between us. Nothing, except… now, there was something. He had recoiled from my touch. Whereas I use to slip snow down the back of his pants and he use to recoil from the cold and swear I was just as bad as his sister, he now tensed up over just me resting in his lap. Things were changing, but I couldn't tell how.

"Come on," he sighed lightly, springing to his feet. "Mom will be wondering where the two of us are." He held out his hand, offering to help me up. I took it cautiously, and he hauled me to my feet before pulling me into one of our friendly hugs, our arms around each other's shoulders, walking in pace with one another. This time, he didn't seem to mind the contact, and he seemed like the same gentle natured guy I've always known. I pushed my concern from my mind; it was all in my head, nothing was changing. We were fine.

Felicia was glad when we barged through the door, playfully trying to fit through the door without letting go of each other, making a game out of our daily lives, as usual. After Taro shouted at us to stop goofing around, our typical competition began; as Felicia cooked and cleaned, Elliot and I raced around the small home, trying to be more helpful than each other.

"Will someone please set dinner on the table?" She called, a large platter of Omelet Rice held out behind her. I took it gently from her hands, but as I turned around to set it on the table, a flash of red hair and the reflection of the lights off of glasses later, he had stolen it from my grasp. As I shouted that he was cheating, he placed it gently on the table. I began setting the table's dinner plates. I threw one at Elliot just as he was looking up at me, and he miraculously caught it before it shattered on the floor. He placed it in front of one of the chairs, before saying I was a sore loser, laughing. I took Felicia's wooden cooking spoon out of her hand and was about to chuck it across the table at him, when Taro shouted, louder than before, that we should start acting our age.

"My apologies, Taro," I muttered, turning my back to him so he wouldn't see my grin.

"Sorry, Grandpa," Elliot sighed, taking his seat. As the rest of us sat down for dinner and began to eat, Felicia was smiling dreamily and shaking her head slightly.

"When you two get together, it's nearly as bad as two toddlers," she sighed, her sweet smile taking any harshness out of the statement.

"I think they're just trying to destroy the house!" Taro grumbled, shooting me a dirty look, to which I simply smiled at, my mouth full of rice.

"They're just having some fun, Dad, leave them be," she chided with a smile. As we ate, we discussed the day and its various events, and I even told Elliot's face off with the chickens, much to his embarrassment.

"It's safe to say that Pecha doesn't like him anymore," I concluded, envisioning Pecha pecking ferociously at his knuckles.

"Oh, how fun!" Felicia smiled across to her son.

"Goddess, kid, you better work on your animal skills if you ever want to be any help on that farm," Taro nodded, tapping his walking stick on the floor, irritated. "Chelsea won't stand for laziness or incompetence."

"Grandpa, please," Elliot whimpered, taking off his glasses and rubbing his face.

"He's right Elliot, you'd better start practicing. You don't want that poor sweet chicken chasing you around the farm for the rest of your life, do you?" Felicia asked, standing up.

"Mom!" he cried, giving her a pleading look with his eyes as he replaced his glasses.

"It's fine, Elliot, really," I said over my shoulder as I began to help her clear the table. His mother had mentioned after we had all spent the first Starry Night Festival together that she thought I would be good for her son, but I knew she was just joking. Elliot and I was fantastic friends, but he didn't see me that way, no matter how badly Felicia wished it would be that way. Elliot always became embarrassed whenever his grandfather or mother began to plan our future together, but I thought it was charming; it showed just how fond they were of me. Let them have their daydreams.

Elliot jumped to his feet and began to help me clean the dishes, taking his mother's place, the both of us competing again to be more helpful to the other, but with a more quiet and subdued vigor than before.

"Tomorrow will be a scorching first day of Fall, Chelsea," Taro called from his chair, where he was relaxing. "My bad knee tells me so. Be sure to give your crops extra water."

"Yes Grandpa," I said, nodding over my shoulder respectfully. Taro smiled approvingly, before turning back to stare out the window. In the Spring, Taro and Felicia requested I started calling them Grandpa and Mom, but…the transition was hard for me. Not only was it a force of habit, but a sign of respect I didn't want to lose; however, they were both insistent, and I was trying my best.

Afterwards, I waited patiently for Elliot to force down his daily glass of milk, making strange faces and noises, hoping he would make a mess or choke. Afterwards, he told his elders he would walk me home, as always, and we headed for my farm quietly, careful not to disturb the neighbors.

Archer, the dog I received during my first year, waited for my by the main farm path. He yipped happily at our approach, and shoved himself against us, demanding attention. After a few strokes and many licks, he went to the small building he slept in with my mare.

Elliot walked me to the door, and we said some drowsy goodbyes. He gave me a hug that I thought lingered longer than usual, but he pulled away and began walking home, whistling loudly. I closed the door and began to undress, already thinking about my bed, when a sharp bark sounded from behind me. With a groan, I turned around and saw Archer chasing his tail in front of me before jumping on my bed.

"Ugh, did that idiot wind you up before he left?" I groaned, petting him lovingly. He rolled onto his back, begging for more scratches. After a few more belly rubs, I pushed Archer off of my bed and turned the lights out, my red, satin night gown shimmering in the moonlight that was filtering through the window. It was the only nice thing I owned. As the black lace tickled my thighs, I threw myself into bed.

"Archer, bed," I yawned, already half asleep. As I heard the clicking as he went out the doggie door, I fell into the black folds of sleep, and dreamt of giant chickens chasing a red haired boy across my farm.


	2. Unintended Exposure

Archer's sharp bark woke me at six a.m. sharp, tearing me from a confusing swirl of colors and thoughts. I hopped out of bed and changed quickly, racing the sun out the door. I shoved the cows and sheep outside to graze, and carried the chickens outside to forage. Pecha, the chicken Elliot had traumatized the day before, was relieved to see me, and rubbing against my leg with a few soft clucks before trotting off to find something to eat.

"Archer!' I called. I saw his little brown head come bounding towards me just above the top of the grass fields I had planted for the livestock. One sheep bleated in surprise as he skittered under foot, but quickly began to graze as he came to a skidding halt in front of me.

"Get Gypsy." As my puppy scampered off to herd the horse out for the day, I set to work on the field. The ground was solid from the Summer heat, and plowing the fields proved difficult. I scattered some Yam seeds, and drenched them in water. I went back inside the barn, and began to muck out the area, whistling as I worked. When I went back outside, it was significantly hotter than before. I watered the seeds again, before cleaning out the chicken coop and Archer and Gypsy's stalls. It was mid-afternoon already, and the Fall heat was oppressive. I poured some water over my head, cooling off, before heading into town to greet the other patrons.

I made my rounds, greeting each and every person on the island, taking my time to ask about their health and to inquire how I might be able to better their lives. I didn't bother to stop by Taro's house; I would save them for last. As I began heading to their house from the western forest, I saw from afar Julia come out the front door of her and her mother's animal shop. I called out and waved to her with a smile, and she grinned and waved back, calling out a friendly greeting. I continued to smile to her, until she walked into Taro's house.

Don't get me wrong, I love Julia; she's kind and calm, and very good with animals. Her gentle heart shows in everything she does, and I am glad to have met her. But all these positive things, all of the pros of Julia, flew out of my mind whenever she was around Taro's family. She was too familiar.

I stormed past their house, not even bothering to say hello, and heading to the eastern part of the island. I had already told Felicia the previous day that I would be meeting a friend for dinner, and that I wouldn't be joining them for dinner tonight, but she certainly still expected a visit. I ran to the café and tea shop that were constructed near the jungle, and peeked inside both windows. Inside the green tea shop, a girl with straw colored hair and a green headband sat, sipping a steaming mug. As I slammed inside the shop and nodded towards her in a frustrated greeting, she squealed in disgust.

"Go home and change right now," Lanna commanded as I walked by her and headed to the counter, where a smiling elderly lady stood behind, waiting for my order.

"Why's that?" I grumbled, glancing at the menu up and behind the tea shop owner, posted on the wall.

"Because jealousy is an awful color on you," she grinned, sipping her warm coffee. I scoffed, and ordered a chilled grape punch. I paid quickly, then went and sat next to Lanna to await my order. Besides Elliot, I didn't trust anyone else on the island as much as Lanna. We came from completely separate worlds, but I think it was just that that made us so compatible. We had a different perspective on everything.

"Julia again?" she asked, stirring her drink distractedly and glancing at me. I nodded sullenly and sighed. "I don't understand; just tell Elliot you have the hots for him already." I sighed heavily, before giving Lanna one of my notorious hard looks.

"I do not "have the hots" for Elliot, Lanna! As I have told you many times before, I just don't like her hanging around Taro's home."

"Why?" she said, sipping her cooling drink and inhaling its sweet scent.

"Well, because! She's a bad influence!" Lanna snorted, setting her cup down and looking at me dead in the eye.

"How?" My drink arrived just then, and after thanking the owner of the tea shop, I stared into the cold drink and stirred it, looking for anything to stare at except Lanna's scrutiny. I could say that Julia was a horrible person; that she was lazy and arrogant, that she spent money frivolously and she was rude and unkind. I could say she was selfish and stuck up, and that I thought I say her stealing some of the money from the cash register at the animal shop. I could say terrible things about her, but… I would be lying. I would be lying the whole time, and I would feel even worse for it. Truth was, I liked Julia very much, she was very nice; I just didn't like her around Taro's, and I couldn't explain it. And it was this confusion, this inability to communicate a logical reason, which stressed me out so badly. Lanna sat back, satisfied, and began to sip from her mug again.

"Tell him you find him attractive, and tell him how you feel," she said, glancing out the window at the orange terrain.

"How can you drink that, it's like, ninety degrees outside," I said, eyeing her coffee.

"Quit changing the subject," she countered. I sighed, took a long sip of my grape punch, and placed my face in my hands. It didn't make any sense; when girls think of attractive, they think of Denny. Denny was muscular and had thick, curly hair; he was passionate about the ocean, and Lanna and I had eyed him on several occasions as he hauled a heavy net of fish ashore, watching his arms and back flex under his clothes. Lanna was delicate and he was masculine, and opinionated, and confident; that's what was attractive.

Elliot wasn't any of those things. He was quiet, shy. He stuttered when he became nervous, and was clumsy. He often asked for help, and never took the initiative. He was a follower, content to let others be trail blazers and gun slingers. He wasn't the definition of attractive, but… something about him still kept me thinking.

"Tell him you loooooove him," Lanna dragged out the word, wagging her eyebrows at me. I snorted and shoved her roughly. She whimpered angrily and fixed her headband, which had become slightly off center.

"He already knows that," I grunted, sipping more of the grape slush. "He'd be an idiot not too. We've been friends forever, it seems."

"He doesn't know that you love him in a romantic way," she chided, shaking her head.

"Well good, 'cause I don't," I growled.

"How long are you going to deny it, hmm?" I growled wordlessly in frustration, glaring at her. Why couldn't she understand? I did love Elliot- - but it was platonic. I loved Elliot like I loved Natalie. Yeah, absolutely. Nothing more. Lanna sighed and looked out the window, a small smile on her lips.

"If you don't tell him, you just might lose him to Julia," she muttered quietly. I shoved my chair back, downed the rest of my drink, and burped loudly. Lanna crinkled her feminine nose in disgust.

"Good, she can have him, I don't want him." I gave her a irritated farewell and left. Outside, the heat was boiling me in my clothes. Why couldn't anyone understand? Elliot was just a friend! I just didn't want him to get hurt; he was so fragile. As I walked past the animal shop, I waved into the window to Mirabelle and Julia, who I was pleased to see was back home. It was six o'clock; it was time she was home. I shouted a greeting to Vaughn, who was rounding up the animals for the day at the house's side, and he nodded back wordlessly at me. I passed Taro's house, still avoiding seeing the family. I was confused by my emotions.

As I walked up the path to my farm, I saw a red crop of hair bent over my shipping bin, kneeling. I smiled, and shouted a greeting at Elliot, who was probably taking my shipment for the day. At my words, he straightened suddenly, and I screeched in surprise; his glasses had slid down his nose, his eyes were half lidded in the light and heat, and his shirt was missing. His eyes snapped fully open in recognition.

"Oh, Goddess!" He swore, jumping to his feet, revealing his bare chest even more. He jogged over to the cart, groped for his shirt, trying to cover his body at the same time. His fingers were clumsy with haste and embarrassment, and it took eons for him to redress. He tried hiding behind the horse that drew the cart, but it wasn't very effective.

He was nowhere near as built as the other men on the island… he had narrow shoulders, and a even thinner waist. His jeans, which weren't covered by the usual green apron, sat dangerously low on his hips. I couldn't stop myself from looking as he struggled to become decent, eyeing his smooth chest, drinking in the view of the "v" that led just below the jean's waistline…

His yanked blue polo over his head, replaced the black suspenders that were dangling at his side, and tied the green apron tightly back into place. I suddenly had a fierce and deep hate for that blue polo shirt; how evil it was to cooperate so soon with him.

"Goddess, just what do you think you're doing!" I shouted, covering my face and eyes, peeking between fingers.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" he stammered, fixing his collar and swallowing hard. "I thought s-some of your eggs might be c-crushed by the amethysts in your shipping bin!" He gestured wildly at the shipping bin as his horse eyed him curiously. "B-but rearranging how you had things stacked took longer than I thought, and well, it was really hot, with the sun setting…" I uncovered my face and sighed.

"And what? You didn't think I'd be _at my own house?_ "

"No! Mom said that you were having dinner with Lanna, that you'd be home late! I didn't think you'd be here yet."

"I left early," I stated, my hands placed sternly on my hips. His eyes looked huge behind his glasses, giving him a harmless look.

"Chelsea, I'm sorry," he lamented. "If I had known you were going to see me, I would never, ever have taken off my clothes, and let you see myself be in a state of such undress." The horse began to snuffle at his hair, it's warm breath fluffing his red locks and musing it. He petting the snout of it impatiently, patting his hair back into place, and never looking away from me. I waved his apology away and turned my attention to Archer, who was now jumping on my legs. I bent down to him, crooning over him and how handsome my big boy was, stroking his brown fur, trying to hide my blush from Elliot's view. When I was certain my face was its usual hue, I stood tall again an accepted his apology, much to his relief.

"Archer, cluck-clucks and moos." Archer sped off, like and arrow from a bow, and began herding the animals in for the evening. As I headed to my front door, Elliot eyed me with confusion.

"Aren't you gonna' go help him?" He asked, pointing his thumb to my happy, go lucky dog. I shook my head wearily. This day had been emotionally trying and draining; I just wanted it to end. As I closed the door, I cut off Elliot's final apology.

I heard him and the cart roll away slowly as I collapsed into bed. After a few moments, Archer padded into the house, leapt onto the bed, and curled up on my back.

"Good dog," I whispered, eyes closed. The image of Elliot's body was burned onto the inside of my eyelids. I rubbed roughly at them, but the picture didn't budge. I sighed and rolled over, kicking Archer off of his spot. I stared at the ceiling, numb.

I was wrong. Things were changing. He was acting different, I was acting different. I'd seen him shirtless plenty of times, and I'd never been so interested before. I shook my head rapidly, trying unsuccessfully to clear my mind. I couldn't un-see it. I couldn't forget the way his chest glistened with sweat, or how low his jeans rode on his narrow hips, or how his glasses had suggestively slid down the bridge of his nose…

 _I would never, ever have taken off my clothes, and let you see myself be in a state of such undress…_ He'd said that. Had he known I would have seen him, he never would have undressed. Had he known I was going to be there, I he never would have revealed himself that way. Never. It was a mistake, one he wouldn't let happen again.

 _I need to forget this happened._ I tried to wipe my mind, tried to forget, tried to erase. I couldn't allow myself to keep such images inside me; I couldn't let myself act so selfishly. I had been right all along; he didn't feel anything for me, other than what I felt for him, which was love.

 _A platonic love,_ I reminded myself. No, he viewed me as he viewed Natalie. It was time to ignore anything I felt… I couldn't force myself on him. He wouldn't know what to do, he wouldn't know how to say no to me. He'd be too scared of hurting my feelings.

 _Not that you have feelings for him,_ I told myself sternly. _Nope, this was just some weird phase. Some weird transitory stage, like a midlife crisis, but at twenty. Things will go back to normal, I know it. This isn't important; I'll wake up tomorrow, and completely forget this ever happened._


	3. Distance

**For this chapter, the layout of the house in IoH is kind of important to the flow of the story. If you haven't played the game, just know that Chelsea's house is just one giant square room, in which the dining room, kitchen, and bed are all interconnected, and easily seen from each place.**

I couldn't forget what I had seen. Every time he waved at me in town, every day when he came to collect my shipping bin, I couldn't force normality. His sweet, innocent smile was polluted by the thoughts of his toned arms and sweaty chest. His round, young eyes could also be sexy and seductive when he positioned his glasses just so. The gentle boy I have known for three years is secretly a grown man, and until now, I have failed to notice it.

I found myself phasing myself out of his life. Slowly, as Fall wore on, I began to avoid him and his family more and more. I stopped eating dinner with them. I'd wave friendlily if I saw one of them in town or give a short greeting if we ran into each other at Chen's shop, but I would always make myself scarce afterwards. Lanna had been right; I was jealous of Julia, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had every right to be. Where her hair was soft and golden, mine was tangled and always tucked under a red bandana and a sheen of sweat. Her legs were long and thin, and mine were thick and layered with scars and scabs. Her body was feminine and curvy, shaped perfectly for a woman, and whenever I looked in the mirror, I had to struggle to find the curve of my breasts beneath my shirt. She was quiet, calm, and gentle. I was loud and opinionated and stubborn. She was everything and more of what I would never be. She was better for him, and I was taking up the time he could be spending with her. Slowly, as time wore on, I removed myself from his presence. I avoided him in town, keeping my head down if I spotted him. I pretended not to be home if he knocked on the door, and I hid in the bushes when he came to collect my daily shipment. It pained me to watch him those first few days. He would wait around for me, kicking rocks and whistling, expecting me any moment. After what was an eternity for me, he would sigh, disappointed, and struggle to load the shipping bin by himself onto the cart. After a while, he stopped whistling, and would quickly load my shipment before turning around and heading to the beach, never looking back. I knew I was hurting him, but soon the pain would numb, and he would be better off.

I began spending much of my free time with the livestock dealer. Lanna was enamored with Denny, and he had begun to reciprocate her love. She rarely made time for me, so I began to search for new companionship. Pierre was off limits, as he was married to Elliot's sister, and Natalie wasn't above being suspicious. Sabrina was kind, but honestly, was also a porcelain doll; I needed someone who I could get dirty with, someone who would mind labor. One day, in the middle of Fall, as he was herding the animals, I jumped in wordlessly, helping him out. Afterwards, we sat under a tree together a bit behind the animal shop, breathing hard under the shade. Wordlessly, he asked what I thought I was doing with a raised eyebrow and a grimace. I shrugged, and continued to relax. I could feel his eyes still on me, so with a sigh, I reached into my rucksack and handed him an egg from the morning collection. He was pleased, and even thanked me. I spent the rest of the Fall and the first part of Winter this way; dodging Elliot and his family, trying not to miss Lanna, and helping Vaughn with his duties, along with my own duties on the farm. Every now and then, I would give him a gift, an egg from the coop or a fresh carton of milk, and he appreciated these rustic tokens. Slowly, painfully slowly, he opened up, and we would even have small conversations. It felt nice to talk to someone again, but one topic was always off limits; I never offered to bring it up, and Vaughn sensed the taboo on the subject. Elliot was never to be mentioned.

On Winter 15th, I left Vaughn at six p.m. as usual, and headed towards home. I blew warm air into my chapped hands, trying my best to warm them in the bitter cold. I scudded to a halt when I finally reached my property. Elliot sat on top of my shipment bin, and Archer, who had always been fond of him and had missed Elliot, was laying in his lap. Elliot glanced up, and say me eyeing him.

"Hi, Chelsea," he said, smiling hopefully.

"Elliot," I nodded coldly, trying to maintain the distance. "Archer!" I barked. The canine obediently hopped off of the ginger's lap and sat at my feet. I quickly ordered that he round up the animals for the evening, and began heading to my house. "Did you need help with my shipping container?" Elliot shook his head as he trailed me slowly. I nodded as I opened the door, and turned to him. "Very well, good evening," I said formally, before calmly shutting the door on him.

I heard him trudge through the snow, back to his own home, as I undressed for the evening. I slipped my red satin and black lace night gown on, and cooked myself a brief and tasteless dinner of fried eggs.

I was fast asleep when I awoke suddenly at 12:10 a.m. the next morning. I stared at the ceiling, and wondered about my restlessness, when another sharp knock at the door sounded. I leapt to my feet and threw the door open as I flicked on the porch light. He stood there, on my porch, shivering violently, his arms wrapped around himself.

"What the hell?" I muttered, shaking my head and glaring at him.

"May I come in?" he inquired politely through chattering teeth.

I moved out of the doorframe and let him inside, shutting the door quickly on the snowfall. He began to sit down at the kitchen table, but I grabbed his wrist roughly and led him to my bed. I deftly removed his soaked shoes, laid him down and tucked him in warmly, before racing to the front door and cracking it open.

"Archer!" I called, before closing it again. After a few moments, he came creaking through the doggie door, shook the snowflakes rapidly from his fur, then looked up happily at me, his tongue lolling about. I led him to my bed, and lifted the covers. "In," I commanded. The puppy instantly crawled beneath the comforter and curled up around Elliot's frozen toes, warming them. He moaned with relief, his eyes squeezing shut. I went to the kitchen and began to bang around, searching for the right pots and pans.

"Let me help," he muttered, beginning to rise.

"Stay," I hissed, leveling him with a glare. He lay back down quickly, eyeing me cautiously. I returned to his side, readjusted the covers so he was a large human burrito, then briskly about faced and returned to my previous actions. I brewed him a piping hot cup of Relax Tea, and handed it him carefully. He took it graciously and swallowed a whole mouthful before wincing painfully, his eyes watering beneath his lenses. "It's hot, dummy," I giggled, shaking my head. He looked up at me then, his smile huge and his eyes shining. I grunted, straightened my face back to its expressionless mask, and turned back to the kitchen, my cold manners reestablished. Bending down, I peered into the fridge, shivering at the cold, grabbed the secret vegetable, and set about cooking on the stove. I did my best to use my body to block his view, but soon the sweet aroma trailed to him, and he moaned in anticipation, making me laugh at his eagerness. I quickly brought the steaming plate of Stir-Fried Veggies to him, placing it gingerly on the bed beside him. I kept a secret stash of cabbage all year round so I could surprise him on special occasions or random days with his favorite dish, and tonight qualified as at least unusual. He took a tender bite of the meal, and his eyes rolled back as he moaned in appreciation.

"Goddess, can you cook," he said, his voice muffled with food. I smiled, watching him eat and drink, warmed by his presence. When he was finished, I took his plate and mug back to the kitchen sink, where I would wash them later.

"Never seen that before, is it new?" he called after me. After setting the dishes down I turned around and saw him eyeing my body. I glanced down and instantly felt my face, neck, my entire body burning in a blush that I am certain covered every inch of my skin. And, to be honest, just about every inch of my skin was, in fact, visible. I still wore my thin, short, sultry night gown, revealing much of my form. I stumbled across the room, banged around in my dresser and yanked out my usual orange dress shirt that I wore. As I threw it over my shoulders and buttoned it up to the neck, covering the lingerie, I mumbled that I'd had it for some time.

I sat awkwardly far away from him on the bed, extremely conscious of my prior exposure, looking anywhere but at his face. After a few silent minutes, he asked me how my day was, to which I snorted but gave my reply. As time wore on, we slipped effortlessly back into our old regularity and companionship. We laughed and joked and teased each other about stupid things. I enjoyed the gleam of his hair and the sound of his quiet breathing, drinking it in. After several hours, when there was a break in conversation, I eyed him curiously.

"So why are you here at my house at 3:34 in the morning?" I asked glancing at the clock. He looked at me, and then shrugged.

"Came to visit," he said, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. I snorted, and rolled my eyes.

"What on earth would convince you, goody two shoes Elliot, Mr. Responsible, to sneak out in the middle of the night?" He was quiet, ignoring my question, before he spoke.

"Where have you been, Chels? Mom keeps bugging me, asking if you're well and when she will be seeing you again. Grandpa won't get off my case, keeps shouting that if I had proved competent at farm life, maybe you'd still be around." I chuckled, but stopped the laughter short when I saw his serious look.

"I've been busy," I shrugged, avoiding eye contact as I petted Archer, who now slumbered in my lap. In my periphery, I saw him staring at me, appraising me.

"You are lying," he stated, shaking his head. "It's the dead of Winter; this is your most calm and tranquil part of the year. No crops to grow or water. Just the animals, and we both know that caring for them doesn't take all day, every day." I stared at the dining room table across the room, keeping my face blank. "Natalie says I must've done something, that I ruined what the three of us had…and she's taking it out on me!" A forbidden giggle escaped, and he pressed his advantage. "Can you imagine what my life has become? She came home really early one day and woke me up by dumping a gallon of milk on my face. _Milk!_ Can you believe it? She stuffs ice down my shirt at every opportunity, and constantly tells me that she thinks I'm starting to shrink back to the height I was when we first met." I laughed openly, shaking my head at their madness.

"You two show your love for each other in the strangest ways," I said, smiling at him.

"Love?" he snorts, incredulous. "This isn't love, this is torture! A daily lashing for, what she calls, "chasing Chelsea away,"" he cries, putting stressed air quotes around the phrase. As my laughter subsides and we fall back into an expectant silence, he places his hand lightly on my shoulder.

"Where have you been, Chels?" he repeats softly. I blink hard before shaking his hand off of me. I can tell I've hurt him; where we use to swim with his sister in the river with only the bare essentials on without a second thought, I now didn't want him even brushing against me. We sit together, only a foot apart, but suddenly, miles away, the chasm reopening between us. After a few moments, He stood up, slipped on his shoes, and headed for the door. He opened it slightly, but turned back partially to me, so I could see his face, his hand still on the door handle.

"I miss you, Chels," he whispered, staring at the floor in front of my feet, not even allowing himself to look at me. "I miss hearing your voice. I miss the rude comments and the teasing and the way you and Natalie gang up on me. I miss the family dinners and walks between here and the beach. I miss the way you use to tell me I was perfect in my own, nerdy way whenever Natalie would say I was scrawny. I miss us, and I don't know what I did to make you avoid me." He stepped outside, turned the light out for me, and left quietly, shutting the door behind him.

I stared at the door, breathing deeply, my shoulder still warm from his touch. Archer roused in my lap at the sudden darkness, and licked my cheek drowsily. I began to cry silently, and holding him tight to my chest, I crawled under the covers, nestling into the divot his body had left on the mattress. I tore off my orange shirt and threw it off the bed, cradling my puppy to my chest as my tears soaked his fur. He licked my hand silently, confused, but still trying to comfort me. The scent of Elliot's skin was embedded in my pillow, and even though I tried to ignore it, it wasn't long until I was inhaling deeply, willing for him to reappear.


	4. Flowers and Decisions

The next morning I woke up sluggish and groggy. I dragged myself through the morning chores, brushing the livestock and letting them out to graze. I watered the crops slowly, often finding that I was watering an empty section of soil before reverting the spray of water to the seedlings. My mind wandered, and I couldn't focus on the present as my mind kept sneaking to the previous night. I fed Gypsy and Archer, and headed into town.

I meandered into town, and found that everyone was taking shelter from the cold inside their houses. Everyone, save for one little girl, who was digging in the snow by Gannon's house. With a small grin, I walked up behind Eliza and gave one of her golden curls a playful tug.

"Whatcha' doing there, Eliza?" I asked, smiling as she pushed my hand away.

"Searching!" her petite voice squeaked. "I hate the Winter! Can't ever find any flowers!" She pouted and rubbed her red hands on her orange dress, trying to warm them earnestly. With a knowing smile, I reached into my rucksack, and extracted something I had been holding on to since the warmer seasons for a day like this: a Toy Flower. I wagged it teasingly in front of the little girl's face, and loved the way her eyes lit up when she saw the yellow petals.

"How did you get that?" she exclaimed, gently taking it from me, her eyes wide.

"Magic," I stated simply, smoothing her hair maternally. I often horded gifts for the other villagers throughout the Summer and Fall so I could surprised them with out of season gifts during the Winter, but Eliza's reactions were my favorite. She was so grateful and sweet.

"Thank you, Chelsea, I declare you the nicest person on Sunny Island," she nodded confidently. Charlie, Chen's son, came booking across the snow, investigating.

"A flower?" he said, crinkling his nose in distaste. "That's kind of boring. Come on, let's pull the petals off!" Charlie reached for the flower quickly, but Eliza yanked it out of reach with a cry of disapproval. She rose to her feet, and tore off towards the beach, her small treasure clutched to her chest. Charlie ran after her, laughing and saying that all he wanted to do was play.

"Charlie, you leave her flower alone!" I cried out after their disappearing silhouettes, my hands cupped around my mouth. Charlie continued to chase her, his laughter carried back to me on the wind. My fists planted themselves on my wide hips as I shook my head angrily. Tomorrow, he would not be getting any dragonflies from me.

"You're really good with kids," came a voice from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder at Elliot, who was smiling hopefully at me. I sighed, and turned back to where the children had disappeared too.

"If he doesn't leave that poor girl and her flower alone, he's going to get an earful from both me and his father," I sighed, shaking my head. Emboldened that I hadn't simply ignored him, as I had been for quite some time, he chuckled and nodded. We began to walk back to his house together, chatting about the children and how Chen had his hands full, when a sultry voice sounded behind us.

"Hey guys," Julia called, walking up to us with a warm smile. I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded welcoming in return.

"Hi, Julia," Elliot replied, a wide grin on his face. The three of us began talking, about the weather, the animal shop, the shipping business, my farm. I said as little as possible, trying the get Elliot to ignore me and focus on her, but whenever he felt I was being too quiet, he'd pull me back into the conversation. Julia was as kind and friendly as always, which made my disliking of her even more frustrating.

"So Chelsea, my mother tells me that you've been talking to Vaughn a lot," Julia hinted, a abrupt change in subject. Elliot, who had been inattentively staring off towards the beach at Eliza's far off squeals, snapped his head towards me, his eyes wide with surprise. I rolled my eyes, and offered Julia and teasing smile.

"The amount of gossip that Mirabelle produces is insane," I smiled, shaking my head and not thinking much of it.

"She says that you two have gotten very close. Even Vaughn has started to talk about you around the shop," she continued, a sly smile on her perfect lips.

"He's a nice guy," I offered, shrugging. Elliot's gaze bore into me, but I didn't think much of it. He was probably just upset that I hadn't mentioned where I was spending all my free time now. Julia flipped her golden ponytail over her shoulder, her blue eyes refusing to drop the subject.

"You must really like him, helping him out every day, like you have been. " I gave another unconcerned shrug, not taking the bait; yeah, Vaughn and I had grown much closer, but at least from my point of view, it wasn't a romantic endeavor.

"Mother even mentioned he get a Blue Feather the other night," she giggled, placing her hand modestly over her mouth. I choked, and I saw Elliot stiffen on my left.

"Good Goddess, how quickly do relationships move," I coughed, feeling immensely uncomfortable. I quickly excused myself, and began to walk back to my farm, my mind racing. As I glanced back, I saw Elliot staring after me, his eyes swarming with confusion. He looked about ready to follow me, but Julia's hands, one on his shoulder, holding him in place, and one on his cheek, turning his attention to her, kept him behind me. I felt a surge of confusion and jealousy, and began to run to my farm.

"Archer!" I cried. The puppy came trotting around a bush, looking at me. "Get Gypsy," I commanded, my chest heaving. As he ran off to collect the mare, I paced frantically, the swirl of emotions over powering me. The brown mare trotted up beside me quietly, and I launched myself onto her back recklessly. I dug my heels brutally in her side, and with a surprised whinny, she raced off the farm and towards the forest at a breathless speed. I rode her hard, trying to flee from the situation, away from the confusion. When we were far away from anywhere I had ever explored before, further than the Witch Princess' house, I loosened my hold on her mane, allowing her to slow to a steady walk, her breath coming noisily.

I hadn't known that my growing relationship with the cowboy had been part of the public attention. I found it slightly unnerving and bothersome. Seeing Elliot's reaction was even more confusing to me. Maybe, just maybe, he did have some sort of romantic reservation for me… but that was insane, and absolutely inconvenient. It was clear that Julia was better for him, why would he even look at me with her around? It defied logic entirely. And Vaughn was starting to talk about me…

The fact that he even thought of me or said my name when I wasn't present was shocking. He was always so reserved and serious, only speaking when absolutely necessary and avoiding conversation. But he was actually talking about me…I wondered how much, and what about? He had a certain rugged handsomeness to him, and I had seen how gentle and kind he was to the animals he cared for. There was a different side to him, one that very few people ever saw, and I was beginning to uncover it. Clearly, Mirabelle had been joking when she had mentioned the Blue Feather to Vaughn, but now that the idea had been brought up, was he really considering it? Would he really propose?

I groaned angrily, leaning my body against Gypsy's neck. She nickered softly, trying to understand why is was so distressed. Of course I had feelings for Elliot; he was my best friend, I trusted him with everything, and he knew all my flaws and kinks as if they were his own. But I had already made my decision: Julia was better for him. I wouldn't tell him how I felt, or try to pursue him. But the idea of being proposed too? I got butterflies just thinking about it! But whenever I had pictured a husband, it had always been Elliot I imagined, even before I had realized how I felt for him, just because with him, existing was so effortless. But now, my suitor had white hair and a serious gaze. He was quiet and tall and judgmental. But I was beginning to see more, see a hidden side, that I hadn't known had existed before. He could be kind…he could be sweet.

Even as I tried to imagine a future with Vaughn, I found my daydreams resistant as thoughts of Elliot continued to invade my consciousness. If I was leaving Julia to have him, there was no point in remaining alone and making myself miserable. He would be so happy, and I hated the idea of not being happy myself. If Vaughn proposed to me… he wouldn't be the one I wanted, but I would accept. Perhaps I could grow to be happy, maybe I could even grow to eventually love him.

My mind and ultimatum finally made, I trotted Gypsy back to town spiritlessly, accepting my decision. I wouldn't be with whom I really wanted, but I could be happy if I tried hard enough. Vaughn was herding the animals together for the evening, and I joined in wordlessly like before. Once they were all rounded up, I sent Gypsy home, and sat beside Vaughn underneath the tree we always found respite beneath. I shivered with cold, and surprisingly, he draped his vest over my back gently. I smiled at him graciously, and as I turned to look around, I saw a red tuft of hair and glasses watching me from Taro's house. Immediately, I felt like giving Vaughn his vest back, but I steeled myself against it, keeping it on. Elliot needed to think I was genuinely interested in Vaughn, so he in turn would forget me. Knowing he was watching, I placed a hand gently on Vaughn's knee and thanked him for the vest. He smiled, and tipped his hat towards me.

"You were late today, did something hold you up?" he asked after sometime. I told him that I had some wild dogs on the farm bothering my chickens, and that Archer and I had a hard time chasing them off. He nodded silently, and after some time, I told him it was time for me to retire. As I stood up, he stood up as well, and began to walk me home for the first time.

As we passed Taro's house, Elliot still peered out at us. When we reached my farm, Archer greeted Vaughn politely before hopping up on my legs, slobbering with excitement. Vaughn gave me a quick goodnight nod, and began to walk back to town. Archer and I rounded up the animals quickly, and I gave him a final pat on the head before closing the door behind me.

I changed slowly into my gown, and skipped dinner as I tucked myself in for the evening. I spent several minutes thinking about Vaughn, wondering what a life with him would consist of, and how our married life would be. I thought about maybe having children, and if he would help me on the farm. I drifted off into sleep, but as these thoughts continued to swirl about and turn into dreams, I found that Vaughn was replaced with red hair and glasses.


	5. Drunken Rendezvous(Lemon)

**This chapter will be a lemon chapter, so if you aren't comfortable reading sexually explicit material, please, feel free to skip to the next chapter!**

At 1:53 a.m. that following morning, a loud pounding at my door roused me from my sleep. Outside, the snow was falling heavily, in large, pregnant flakes. With a groan, I yanked on my orange shirt, careful not to repeat the exposure of the night before, and tried to flatten my bed hair. Another impatient bang rattled my door, and I shouted that I was coming.

"This better not become a habitual visit," I yawned jokingly as I opened the door. I was roughly shoved out of the way as Elliot stormed into my home. I shouted in surprise and slammed the door shut as I whirled to chastise him; he was usually so polite. My eyes landed on a half empty wine bottle sloshing about in his left hand. Glaring at me, he lifted the bottle to his lips and took a long drought from it.

"Vaughn?" he spat, wiping his mouth with his arm. "You seriously are dating Vaughn?" I crossed my arms and shook my head, trying to think of how to calm him down.

"No, I am not, we – "

"Well, you better tell that to the rest of the town, because they all seem pretty damn sure you guys are on the track of marriage!" he shouted, cutting me off, and swinging the red bottle wildly.

"Elliot, you're drunk," I said flatly, irritated that he had cut me off, had woke me up, and had barged into my house uninvited.

"Of course I'm drunk!" He shouted, taking another swig from the bottle. "How could anyone stay sober at the idea of you being with that self absorbed cowboy!" Red liquid dribbled down his chin, and he wiped at it angrily, never breaking eye contact.

"Shhh, be quiet!" I whispered, trying to calm him down.

"Why? Afraid I'll wake the cows?" he sneered. A quiet creaking noise sounded behind me, and a threatening growl followed. Archer came and stood in front of me defensively, with his paws spread wide and his hackles raised threateningly. He glanced back at me, confused at why Elliot was a threat, before turning back to the man and growling savagely. I sighed, and told him to heel. Archer sat down slowly, his gums falling and hiding his fangs. He stared at Elliot and whimpered, confused at how this young man he had known for years and had never once raised his voice, was suddenly so unruly.

"No, because you will wake him." I patted Archer's head reassuringly.

"Good to know that the dog is more important than me!" He shouted, taking a few steps towards me. Archer began to growl again, and I told him to heel before turning my attention back to Elliot.

"If you're going to continue acting this way, you can get off of my property," I shouted back.

"Fine! Push me away! Push me away like you did to me before, and with everyone who actually cared for you!" His words slurred together as he took a long drink, draining the bottle of the remainder of wine.

"Get out," I commanded, pointing to the door. With a roar of rage, he chucked the bottle across the house, and as it shattered against the far wall, Archer rose to his feet again, barking and growling. I shouted at the dog to be quiet, and confused by the events and orders not to act on his protective instincts, he crawled under the dining table and laid there with his tail between his legs, whimpering.

Elliot and I glared at one another, matching his fire with my ice, both of us filled to the brim with anger and spite. "At least I know I made the right choice. Vaughn will treat me better than you ever could," I said calmly. My voice, although I wasn't yelling, screeched in the sudden silence, filling every corner of the room. Elliot's jaw slackened, and his eyes filled with pain. I crossed my arms and continued to stare at him, willing myself to be as cold as the weather outside.

Silent tears began to fall down his face, and he wiped at them weakly, taking off his glasses to do so. "No he couldn't," he whispered, placing his glasses back on his face, new tears already drenching his cheeks. I snorted, and gestured calmly to the wall, where a red stain was seeping into the wooden wall, and the sharp glass littered the floor. He stared at it weakly, shaking his head.

"I'm so sorry," he choked, trying to hold in a sob. I laughed cruelly, trying to hide my own hurt emotions.

"You're sorry?" I said incredulously. "You're _sorry?_ " He nodded sadly, shoving his hands into his apron pockets.

"I'm sorry that I came here tonight and disturbed you. I'm sorry if I scared you, and I'm sorry that I did scare Archer. I'm sorry that I didn't try harder to ask you what was going on when you left. I'm sorry that for nearly half a year, I didn't put all my energy into trying to fix us. I'm sorry for whatever I did that made you go away." I felt myself slowly relaxing back into his presence. I steeled myself again, raising my armor and not letting his words affect me. He eyed me cautiously.

"But I know that you're wrong, because I would be better." I laughed quietly and shook my head. He continued, ignoring my cruel attitude. "I would be as gentle and as caring as you know I am. I would wake up with you, every morning, and help you with the farm. You'd never roll over and find the right side of the bed empty, because I would always be right there. I'd make up breakfast and try and fix your hair and tell you that you're beautiful." I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to block out his words. "I'd rub your feet every evening and stroke your hair as you fell asleep, because I've wanted to ever since I first met you." He walked slowly towards me, his eyes sincere and his voice soothing. I kept my arms crossed and tried to keep glaring at him, letting him know I was still angry. "We'd eat dinner at my mother's place so you could see them every day, because I know that even though you won't admit it, you miss them, and you miss me. We would visit Natalie and Pierre and have a grand time, picnic lunches in the jungle, and I'd smile as the two of you team up against me, because the rude comments are worth it if I got to hear your laugh. I'd sing as I muck out the barn, way off key, and tackle you to the ground if I felt a surprise would relieve your stress." He stroked my cheek gently, and I stifled a moan at his touch. "I wouldn't be just some shadow at the edge of your life. I'd be next to you every day, trying to make every moment of your life flawless. I'd be attentive and loving and gentle, everything he couldn't be. I'd be yours, and I'd be the happiest person alive."

I shook my head violently, taking a small step back, trying to break the spell he had weaved. "No, no," I gasped, trying to clear my head of all the daydreams and yearnings I'd ever had of the two of us. "Julia. Julia is better for you." Elliot's eyebrows shot up as he tilted his head back in surprise. "She's gentle and kind and pretty and feminine and everything you need," I sputtered, the words tearing at my heart as they flew from my mouth.

"I don't want Julia," he stated with a firm nod.

"No, no, you're just saying that because you're drunk," I breathed, trying not to get my hopes up.

"I don't want Julia," he repeated, getting very close to me. "I want you," he whispered, his brown eyes piercing mine through his glasses.

"Julia," I stuttered as he leaned in slowly. I tried to lean back, but his large, firm hands planted on my upper back and kept me in place.

"Who's Julia?" he muttered. His lips brushed gently across mine, and my control flew out the window, along with his. We gasped in unison, and one of his hands shot to the back of my neck as he pulled me roughly against his lips. His smooth lips parted as his warm tongue pushed impatiently against mine, commanding me to give in. I opened my mouth quickly and moaned loudly against his lips as his tongue delved deeply into my mouth, taking what had always been his. I pressed the length of my body against his as my hands fisted roughly in his long, red hair.

He moaned quietly as his other hand slid down my back and onto my ass, pushing me hungrily against his hips and hard member. I whimpered quietly and tore off my orange shirt, popping off all the buttons and throwing it aside. I gasped at the sudden cold, but my gasp turned quickly into a moan as his hot hand rubbed one of my hard nipples, hidden under the red silk. I bit his lip teasingly, and effortlessly, he yanked me off my feet. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he walked across the room, before throwing me down on the bed. As he began to remove his blue shirt, I crawled across the bed and began undoing the knot that held his apron in place.

As both items fell to the floor, revealing his flawless chest, he pushed me back roughly onto my back and lowered himself down on top of me, trailing fire with his kisses and bites down my neck, across my collar bone. I whimpered impatiently, and began to try to remove my night gown. His hands found mine, and he pinned them to the mattress. I growled in frustration, but his mouth quickly covered mine. As our tongues danced and my temperature rose, his glasses slowly slid down his nose and bumped me lightly.

Slipping one of my hands out of his grasp, I reached to remove them, but his hand yanked mine away again, pinning me once more. "No," he said, his voice husky with desire. "I want to see all of you." He began to nibble and lick my nipple through the satin, soaking the fabric through. I moaned and whined with a mixture of frustration and pleasure, trying to free my hands as my hips bucked beneath him. I heard him chuckle darkly before he began to slowly move down my body, his head eventually between my legs, pushing the red satin aside.

His tongue, clumsy from drink and inexperience, glided across my nether lips, causing me to gasp in surprise as my legs reactively tried to snap shut. He held them apart commandingly, and my newly freed hands shoved him head against me roughly, my fingers winding in his hair.

His tongue quickly glided over my clit, and I gasped loudly in surprise. Glancing up at me, his tongue tentatively returned to the spot, giving it a quick flick. My body shivered uncontrollably, and with a victorious grin, he began to massage the area ruthlessly with his moist mouth. MY breath came in sharp, squeaky gasps as my legs shook wildly. I felt a heat building around his tongue, and I became nervous and frantic. I begged him to stop, to wait, but he simply became even more insistent, his tongue shoving against my sensitive skin. Just as I felt about ready to explode, he pulled away with a cruel smile. As my hands shot between my legs, desperate for release, he snatched both of them away, causing me to groan in frustration. He tsked at me teasingly, shaking his head back and forth as my climax slowly crawled away. When I could breathe again, I glared at him angrily between my legs.

"Fuck you, Elliot!" He smiled, planted a rough kiss on my slit, causing me to moan, before smiling at me again.

"Not yet," he chuckled. He flipped me over strongly, onto my stomach. "All fours," he grunted. I eagerly began trying to take off my gown again, but a sharp spank on my ass caused me to yelp in surprise. "Not yet," he ordered, as I heard the clinking of his belt buckle coming undone. I heard as he kicked his jeans away as he stood at the edge of the bed, and whimpered when I felt his skin prodding me teasingly. I looked down beneath my legs and quickly found I couldn't see anything past the curtain of my gown. Growling with irritation, I put my weight on my face, using my hands to pull the satin out of the way so I could watch.

His dick circled my entrance lightly, sometimes pushing in slightly before pulling away. His hands clawed my back, spanked my ass in the air, and fondled my breasts excitedly. I took turns watching his penis and watching his face; his eyes switched from being squeezed shut as he savored my body to being wide and incredulous, drinking in my bent over form.

Just as I was about to shout at him, he shoved himself, hilt deep, inside of me causing me to scream into the sheets. He shouted in surprise himself, both of our eyes clamping shut, as we experienced each other's sex. I began grinding my hips against him, and he responded with slowly pumping inside me, his hands gripping my waist as he pulled me against him. As I struggled to tear off my satin dress, he finally allowed it, much to my relief, before I took my weight off of my face and onto my hands again, in proper doggy style.

One of his hands slapped my rear, hard, and with a squeal of pain and surprise, I began timing his thrusts with my own, working him deeper inside of me. As the two of us moved in time, I moaned hornily, loving the feeling of him exploring my insides.

As his thrusts began to come quicker and rougher, he gave my ass a final squeeze before his hand circled around my body and began to rub my clit again. The sensation knocked me off of my hands, and I fell onto my face again, my body shaking with pleasure. The sound of his wet balls slapping against my ass fell in time with his rubs, and I could feel my climax crawling back to me.

As my moans became louder and more encouraging, Elliot began to drill inside of me faster, yanking me back onto his member selfishly. I didn't need him to warn me or say anything, I could feel it; we erupted in orgasm together, screaming each other's name and writhing and humping one another thoughtlessly. My toes curled tightly as I felt the heat rush through every inch of my body, causing me to shudder and scream even more.

Slowly, our orgasms passed, and after some time, he pulled out slowly from me, causing both of us to moan for a final time. He collapsed next to me and I laid down a little ways away on the mattress, hot and trying to cool off. As our tender afterglow set in, his hand found mine, and we lay there, hand in hand, for what must have been eons. Drowsiness set in, and I yawn quietly, rubbing at my eye with my other hand. Elliot stood up quietly, gently lifted me, and laid me on my pillows at the head of the bed. He crawled in next to me, and pulled the cover over the both of us as he hummed quietly. And, as he had said he would, he stroked my hair until I fell asleep, his tuneless hums becoming my favorite lullaby.


	6. Precious (Conclusionepilogue)

The next morning, just before 6, a light knock at the door woke me up slowly. I crawled out of bed, pulled on my orange shirt that was strewn across the floor, and opened the door slowly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Natalie?" I yawned, stretching.

"Hi Chelsea," she chirped, her brow creased with worry. "I'm sorry to bother you so early, but my mother… when she and Grandpa woke up this morning, Elliot was missing. They're searching the rest of the island right now, but I just wanted to know if you knew where he was." I blinked, the night's events flooding back to me. Natalie looked around nervously, and tugged at one of her red locks as she stared at her toes. "I… I know we haven't talked much lately, and I get if I'm not welcome, but… No one knows where he is, and I'm worried ." I smiled at her reassuringly then stepped out of the doorway slightly, hooking a thumb behind me at my bed. Natalie peered into the shadows, and after her eyes adjusted, I saw her gaze find the shape of her older brother, who was fast asleep under my comforter.

"Oh," she said. She sat back on her feet, looked at the sky for a second, then looked back at me. "You sly little fox," she smirked, crossing her arms. "I thought something terrible had happened, and you've been holding him hostage this whole time."

"He was a willing prisoner," I said, wagging my eyebrows. Natalie made a over exaggerated gagging sound, and held her hands up for mercy.

"Okay, thank you for the details, I'm good. I'm going to head back, tell them he just left the house early to see you." A she began walking away, a happy smile on her face, she whirled around, a new, icy glare playing across her face. "If you tell him I was worried about him, I'll beat the crap out of the both of you!"

Flexing my biceps, which were substantial due to farm labor, I responded, "I think I could take you." Natalie smiled warmly at me, and we stood there for a few moments, just glad to be talking again.

"It's great to have you back, Chelsea," she called as she walked away. With a grin, I shut the door quietly, and crept back to bed. Archer began to rouse from his sleeping spot beneath the dining room table, and I told him to hush; I wanted to give Elliot his 6 o' clock wakeup call myself.

I trailed tender pecks up his bare chest, up his neck, across his cheek, and finally, on his lips. Slowly, he came to, and he blinked at me drowsily. Slow recognition played in his eyes, and with a relieved sigh, his head flopped back onto the pillow.

"What?" I smiled, propping myself next to him.

"I thought last night was a dream," he sighed, his arms wrapping around me. I snuggled against his chest for a moment, and we breathed in unison for some time.

"Natalie came here looking for you. Mom and Grandpa are worried sick." Elliot groaned, and asked what I told her. "Well, I showed you sleeping in my bed, and she got the picture." He groaned again, and sat up, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

"I'll never hear the end of this," he lamented, pouting at me.

"Maybe not from her or Pierre, but she swore she wouldn't tell Felicia or Taro the truth. She said she was going to tell them you came for an early visit. Now it's up to us to figure out what was so important that you had to come over before sunrise." Elliot stared at the floor, the ceiling, the pink sky outside the window, before smiling sheepishly at me.

"Wait here," he said. He climbed out of bed, and I whistled at his still naked body suggestively. He swatted my leg, telling me to stop it, as he searched the floor. Finally, he found his green apron, which had somehow ended up by the front door, and began digging in the pockets. Looking over at me nervously, he slowly pulled a broken, limp, and tattered Blue Feather.

My heart stopped. I couldn't breathe. I stared at the weak plumage in his hand, my heart racing in my chest. He sat next to me gently on the bed, holding the feather out to me. "I…I bought this at the beginning of last Spring. I've been searching for the right time to propose to you…Mom and Grandpa and Natalie and Pierre all know about it. They've been pushing me since I got it, but… well, I was still too nervous during the Spring and Summer, and halfway through the Fall we stopped talking, and, well, the time just never came." I was still staring at the feather in his hands, hearing his words, but not reacting or responding. Gently, he pulled my chin up, so he could look me in the eye.

"Chelsea, you drive me absolutely insane. My life has been nothing but chaos and drama since I've met you, and I've never felt more at home than when it was just the two of us, walking back to your farm after dinner with my family. You've always belonged there, and I truly believe you belong with me. Will you make me both the craziest and happiest man alive, and be my wife?" I nodded right away, crying quietly. He slipped the feather into my hands, and gently kissed me on the lips. I cried quietly, and curled up in his lap as he rocked me lovingly, humming another tuneless lullaby for me.

After a few minutes, I pulled away, wiping at my tears impatiently. "Come on, we better get dressed and get to work; we've got a big day ahead of us!" We quickly ran about the house, getting dressed, cleaning up the broken glass from the prior night, feeding Gypsy and Archer, shoving the livestock out to graze and the hens out to forage. Once we were done, Elliot snatched me off my feet, and spun me around, our dizzy kiss never breaking. Once he set me down, his eyes danced with excitement.

"Let's go tell the others," he smiled. We ran to his house hand in hand, breathing hard in the late Winter morning. When we got to his house, we were greeted with shouting.

"Where have you been!" Felicia screeched, her usually kind face warped with rage.

"Just what do you think you're doing, leaving without telling your mother or I?" Taro shouted, waving his walking stick threateningly. Just behind Taro's back, I saw Natalie trying not to snicker as she cleaned some plates in the sink, while Pierre was cooking lunch on the stove.

"I'm sorry guys, I was just too excited," Elliot smiled nervously, straightening his apron.

"For what!" Felicia shouted back, snapping the towel in her hand at Elliot's feet, causing him to jump closer to me. "What in all of the Goddess' good creation would make you forget your duties and responsibilities!" I stepped out from behind Elliot then, smiling warmly. Felicia's face slackened. "Oh, Chelsea, I didn't realize he had brought you… it's nice to see you dear, we've all…" I pulled out the blue feather promptly, letting my smile widen to painful lengths. Behind Felicia, A plate shattered on the floor as Natalie peered around her grandfather to see what had halted the conversation. One…Two… Three.

As if on cue, Felicia and Natalie screamed in unison, throwing their arms in the air. They rushed and gave me a hug, squealing and crying and shouting. The madness that followed was blurry; rounds of congratulations, shaking hands and hugs, tears and cheers, food and drink. The public announcement was made that evening, and more hugs and handshakes were given. Lanna tackled me with a squeal, and Denny patted both Elliot and I on the back. Vaughn made his way slowly through the crowd, and I immediately felt a tinge of fear. However, when he whispered congratulations in my ear, along with the warmest smile I've ever seen on his face, my apprehension melted away while he gave my fiancé a firm handshake.

A week later, he and I were married, and the celebration was boisterous. I saw Vaughn sitting beside Sabrina in the pew during the ceremony, and I was glad that Julia's teasing had been just that: teasing. Julia was also at the wedding, and she gave us both sincere congratulations, although I caught her staring at Elliot with longing several times. I felt a tad guilty and sorry for her, but to be honest, I was so happy that even her jealousy couldn't dampen my mood. Julia deserved to be happy, but Elliot was mine, and even though I wished the best for her, I certainly didn't wish for her to have the best with my husband.

Almost a year later, a baby girl was born to us, and for a full day, we struggled to find a name that was fitting. After some debate and thought, we named her Tehya, which in a language from a foreign land, means "precious." The years rolled by, and nothing changed for us. Crops were tending, mines were dug, animals were fed, and meals were cooked. At the end of each day, I would collapse exhausted in bed, and every evening, as I tried to fall asleep, Elliot stroked my hair, and hummed me a tuneless lullaby.

 **Thanks for reading, guys! If any of you are curious, Tehya is a very old name that has been around for ages. It is commonly accepted that it means "precious," or "invaluable." Many claim it has Native American origins, but I have found that when researched deeper, no real connections to any Native American languages can be made. Regardless of its origins, I felt like it was appropriate!**


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